# EUR-Lex - 52013DC0659 - EN

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# 52013DC0659

**COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION A new EU Forest Strategy: for forests and the forest-based sector /* COM/2013/0659 final */**

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

A new
EU Forest Strategy: for forests and the forest-based sector

1            Europe needs its Forests

Forests
and other wooded land cover over 40 % of the EU’s land area, with a great
diversity of character across regions. Afforestation and natural succession
have increased the EU’s forest area by around 0.4 % per year over recent
decades. Globally, however, forest area continues to decrease. Currently in the
EU, only 60-70 % of the annual increment is being cut, therefore the
growing stock of wood is rising. However, according to Member States’
projections under Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), harvest
rates are expected to increase by around 30% by 2020 as compared to 2010.[1] Some 60 %
of forests are owned by several millions of private owners,[2] with numbers
set to rise as restitution of forest ownership in some Member States continues.
The remainder belongs to the state and other public owners.

Forests
are multifunctional, serving economic, social and environmental purposes. They
offer habitats for animals and plants and play a major role in mitigating
climate change and other environmental services. Nearly a quarter of the EU’s
forest area is protected under Natura 2000, and much of the rest is home to
species protected under EU nature legislation. Forests also offer wide societal
benefits, including for human health, recreation and tourism.[3]

The
socio-economic importance of forests is high, but often underestimated. Forests
contribute to rural development and provide around three million jobs. Wood is
still the main source of financial revenue from forests. So the
strategy also looks at the EU forest-based industries,
subject to EU industrial policy. Wood is also considered an important source of
raw material for emerging bio-based industries.

Forest
biomass is currently the most important source of renewable energy and now
accounts for around half of the EU’s total renewable energy consumption.
According to the National Renewable Energy Action Plans, biomass used for
heating, cooling and electricity would supply about 42% of the 20% renewable
energy target for 2020. If this is achieved, the amount of wood used for energy
purposes in the EU would be equivalent to today's total wood harvest. Forests
also provide a large range of other products, such as cork, resins, mushrooms,
nuts, game and berries.

Ensuring
sustainable forest management is essential if these benefits are to be
delivered in a balanced way.

Sustainable forest management means using forests and forest land in a way, and at a rate, that maintains their biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfil, now and in the future, relevant ecological, economic and social functions, at local, national, and global levels, and that does not cause damage to other ecosystems.[4]

While
the Treaty on the Functioning the EU makes no reference to specific provisions
for an EU forest policy, the EU has a long history of
contributing through its policies to implementing sustainable
forest management and to Member
States’ decisions on forests.
Important developments include the Europe 2020 strategy for growth and jobs,
the Resource Efficiency Roadmap, Rural Development Policy, Industrial Policy,
the EU Climate and Energy Package with its 2020 targets, the Plant Health and
Reproductive Materials Strategy and the Biodiversity and Bioeconomy Strategies.[5]

Based
on subsidiarity and shared responsibility, the 1998 EU Forestry Strategy[6]
established a framework for forest-related actions that support sustainable
forest management and are based on cooperative, beneficial
links between EU and Member
 State policies and initiatives. The
Forest Action Plan[7]
2007-2011 was an important instrument for implementing the strategy and
addressed four objectives: competitiveness, environment, quality of life and
coordination and communication. Co-financing of forestry
measures under the Rural Development Regulation has been and will remain the
main means of EU-level funding.

An
ex-post evaluation of the Forest Action Plan underlined the need for a new forest
strategy that: develops and implements a common vision of multifunctional and sustainable
forest management in Europe; defines action priorities and
targets; links EU and Member State funding
strategies and plans; strengthens coherent cross-sectorial activity planning,
funding and implementation; establishes clear mechanisms for monitoring,
evaluating and reporting; and revises stakeholder involvement. This
Communication supports these recommendations by providing strategic orientations.

2            Why a new framework is needed

Over
the last 15 years, significant societal and political changes have influenced
the way EU society looks at forests and forestry. The overall situation is
characterised by growing demands on and threats to forests. At the same time, the
increasing number of forest-related policies creates a complex and fragmented
forest-policy environment. The increasing links between
international food, feed, fibre and fuel markets are also causing unexpected
market disturbances.

A
new framework is needed to:

· 
Ensure
that the multifunctional potential of EU forests is managed in a sustainable
and balanced way, enabling our forests’ vital ecosystem services to function
correctly.

· 
Satisfy
the growing demand for raw material for existing and new products (e.g. green
chemicals or textile fibres) and for renewable energy. This demand is an opportunity
to diversify markets, but poses a significant challenge for sustainable
management and for balancing demands. Demand for new uses in the bioeconomy and
in bioenergy should be coordinated with traditional demands, and respect
sustainable boundaries.

· 
Respond
to the challenges and opportunities that forest-based industries face in 
resource and energy efficiency, raw materials, logistics, structural
adaptation, innovation, education, training and skills, international
competition, climate policy beyond 2020 and information and communication, to
stimulate growth.

· 
Protect
forests and biodiversity from the significant effects of storms and fires,
increasingly scarce water resources, and pests. These threats do not respect
national borders and are exacerbated by climate change.

· 
Acknowledge
that the EU does not only rely on its own production, and that its consumption
has implications for forests worldwide.

· 
Develop
an adequate information system to follow-up on all of the above.

The EU
needs a policy framework that coordinates and ensures coherence of
forest-related policies and allows synergies with other sectors that influence
forest management. It needs a new forest strategy that is a key reference in
forest-related policy development. EU forests and forest sector need to be
positioned in a way that ensures their contribution to the EU’s objectives and
targets.

3            The way forward: A new EU strategy for forests and the forest-based sector

This
proposal promotes a coherent, holistic view of forest management, covers the
multiple benefits of forests, integrates internal and external forest-policy
issues, and addresses the whole forest value-chain.

It
identifies the key principles needed to strengthen sustainable
forest management and improve competitiveness and job
creation, in particular in rural areas, while ensuring forest protection and
delivery of ecosystem services. It also specifies how the EU wishes to
implement forest-related policies.

For
this strategy to be meaningful to those policies that require or might require
evidence of sustainable forest management and
to reach its goals, objective, ambitious and demonstrable sustainable
forest management criteria that could be applied to all uses
of forest biomass are needed. The strategy, and its implementation, should
build on existing legislation and international initiatives, including work
carried out under FOREST EUROPE,[8]
consider the special situation of small forest owners, and address market-based
private-sector tools such as certification.

To
deliver on common objectives and improve coherence and synergies, coordination
with and between Member States is important.
Member States are asked to consider the
principles and goals of this strategy when setting up and implementing their
action plans and national forest programmes. Networking opportunities and ways
of exchanging information and best practices should be developed.

3.1         Guiding principles

- 
Sustainable
forest management and the multifunctional role of forests, delivering multiple
goods and services in a balanced way and ensuring forest protection;

- 
Resource
efficiency, optimising the contribution of forests and the forest sector to
rural development, growth and job creation.

- 
Global
forest responsibility, promoting sustainable production and consumption of
forest products.

Europe
has a long tradition of sustainable forest management, which
is reflected in the FOREST EUROPE principles applied by Member
States’ policies and supported by the EU, in particular
through rural development policy. It is
a dynamic concept with international, regional and local layers that need to be
implemented by forest managers on the ground.

Member
States are bound by FOREST EUROPE commitments to manage
their forests sustainably, according to their national forest policies and
legislation. When implementing this strategy, they should address sustainable
forest management baselines, improve information exchange and
disseminate good practice.

In the
forest sector, resource efficiency means using forest resources in a way that minimises
impact on the environment and climate, and prioritising the forest outputs that
have higher added-value, create more jobs and contribute to a better carbon
balance. The cascade use of wood[9]
fulfils these criteria. In some cases, different approaches may be necessary,
for example in cases of changing demand or environmental protection.

3.2         2020 forest objectives

To ensure and demonstrate that all
forests in the EU are managed according to sustainable forest management
principles and that the EU’s contribution to promoting sustainable forest
management and reducing deforestation at global level is strengthened, thus:

- contributing to balancing various forest
functions, meeting demands, and delivering vital
ecosystem services;

- providing a basis for forestry and the whole
forest-based value chain to be competitive and viable contributors to the bio-based
economy.

The
objectives developed together with Member
 State authorities and stakeholders
address the three dimensions of sustainable development in an integrated way,
providing a holistic approach to forest management and policy.

3.3         Eight linked priority
areas: value for everyone

Sustainable forest management contributes
to major societal objectives

3.3.1      Supporting our rural and
urban communities

Society
has a growing need for forests. Covering large parts of rural areas, forests
are also vital for the rural population because they support economic welfare
and jobs.

A
sustainable, trained and safe workforce is one of the pillars of a more competitive
forest sector. Well-managed forests with qualified forest managers, workers and
entrepreneurs pave the way for a sustainable and competitive forest sector that
plays an important role in rural development and in the whole economy while
providing societal benefits.

The
Commission considers that rural development funds should be used to support the
implementation of sustainable forest management.  Member States should use the
opportunities given in the new Rural Development Regulation and prioritise
investments in: modernising forestry technologies; optimising the sector’s contribution
to the bio-economy; improving the resilience, environmental value and
mitigation potential of forest ecosystems; achieving nature and biodiversity
objectives; adapting to climate change; conserving genetic resources; forest
protection and information; and creating new woodland and agro-forestry
systems.

Strategic orientations:

- Member States should
make use of rural development
funds to improve competitiveness, promote the diversification of economic
activity and quality-of-life, and deliver specific environmental public goods,[10] to contribute to promoting the social functions of sustainable forest management;

- The Commission and the Member States should
assess and improve the effect of forestry measures under rural development policy;

- As part of the simplification objective of the state aid modernisation
package, the Commission proposes to consider including large companies in the
block exemption system and is revising the conditions for block exemptions in
the forestry sector;[11]

- With the help of rural development funding, Member States are encouraged to support: Forest Advisory Systems for awareness-raising;
training; and communication between local forest holders and authorities;

- The Commission and the Member States should
improve their valuing of the benefits that forests give to society and, through
sustainable forest management, should
find the right balance between delivering the various goods and services.

3.3.2      Fostering the
competitiveness and sustainability of the EU’s Forest-based Industries,
bio-energy and the wider green economy

Wood is
a natural, renewable, reusable and recyclable raw material. If it is sourced
from sustainably-managed forests, is processed and used to minimise negative
effects on climate and the environment while providing livelihoods, its role
can be sustainable.

Overall,
58% of harvested EU wood biomass is
processed by EU Forest-based Industries,[12]
representing about 7% of EU manufacturing GDP and nearly 3.5 million jobs, and
contributing to achieving the goals of EU Industrial Policy.[13]
However, its future competitiveness requires new resource-
and energy-efficient, and environmentally-sound, processes and products.
Advanced wood-based materials and chemicals are expected to play a major role
in the EU bio-economy. A Staff Working Document
describes the EU Forest-based Industries ́ sub-sectors, their economic and
technological outlooks, and identifies their major challenges and remedial
actions (2013-20) to help improve their global competitiveness.

The
remaining 42% is used for energy, accounting for about 5 %
of total EU energy consumption. According to the National
Renewable Energy Action Plans, biomass will still be the
main source of renewable energy in 2020. The
Commission is currently assessing whether additional measures, including
harmonised sustainability criteria, should be proposed to address
sustainability issues related to using solid and gaseous biomass for heating,
cooling and electricity.

Thus,
forest-based biomass, together with non-wood forest products, which are gaining
market interest, provide opportunities to maintain or create jobs and diversify
income in a low-carbon, green economy.

Strategic orientations:

The Commission will,
together with Member States
and stakeholders:

- Explore and
promote the use of wood as a sustainable, renewable, climate and
environment-friendly raw material more fully without damaging the forests and
their ecosystem services; assess the climate
benefits of material and energy substitution by forest biomass and harvested
wood products and the effect of incentives for using forest biomass in
creating  market distortions;

- Develop
objective, ambitious and demonstrable EU sustainable forest management criteria
that can be applied in different policy contexts regardless of the end use of
forest biomass, by the end of 2014. Appropriate measures will be presented by
the Commission;

- Assess
potential wood supply and facilitating increased sustainable wood mobilisation;
develop good-practice guidance for this and for the “cascade” principle, as
well as on resource- and energy-efficient manufacturing processes, especially
for Forest-based
Industries, SMEs
and micro-firms;

- Stimulate
market growth and internationalisation of EU Forest-based Industry products and
improve sectorial knowledge, including on sustainable construction and consumer
information on furniture;

- Facilitate
access to third markets for EU Forest-based Industry products and raw
materials via bilateral trade agreements, and by improving information on
import conditions and raw material exports;

- Support the
Forest-based Sector Technology Platform and encourage new initiatives, such as
private-public partnerships, e.g. in the bio-based sector, which foster
research and innovation for various resource- and energy-efficient products and
processes;

- Launch a cumulative
cost assessment of EU legislation affecting Forest-based Industry value chains,
in
2014.
The results could contribute to a wider analysis of impacts, including costs,
benefits, and coherence, of policies and legislation.

3.3.3      Forests in a changing
climate

Forests
are vulnerable to climate change. It is therefore important to maintain and
enhance their resilience and adaptive capacity, including through fire
prevention and other adaptive solutions (e.g. appropriate species, plant
varieties, etc.).

At
the same time, forest management can mitigate climate change if forests’ role
as sinks in the carbon cycle is maintained or enhanced and by providing
bio-materials that can act as temporary carbon stores or as ‘carbon
substitutes’, replacing carbon-intensive materials and fuels. The EU recently adopted rules for accounting, monitoring
and reporting on LULUCF[14] under which Member States will, for example, provide information on their plans for
enhancing sinks and reducing forest-related emissions. The EU and Member
 States have also made
LULUCF-related commitments to be achieved by 2020, the 2nd
Commitment Period under the Kyoto Protocol.

Forests
also mitigate the impact of extreme weather events by moderating temperatures, and
reducing wind speed and water run-off.

Strategic orientations:

Member States should
demonstrate:

- how they intend to increase their forests’
mitigation potential through increased removals and reduced emissions,
including by cascading use of wood, taking into account
that the new LIFE+ subprogram for Climate action and Rural Development funding
can promote and support new or existing forest management practices that limit
emissions or increase net biological productivity (i.e. CO2 removal).
They should do this by mid-2014 and in the context of
their information on LULUCF actions;

- how they enhance their forests’ adaptive capacities and
resilience, building on the actions proposed in the EU Strategy on Adaptation
to Climate Change[15]
and the Green Paper on Forest Protection and information, such as bridging
knowledge gaps and mainstreaming adaptation action in forest policies.

3.3.4      Protecting forests and
enhancing ecosystem services

Forests
provide ecosystem services on which rural and urban communities depend, and host
an enormous variety of biodiversity.  Pressures on forests, such as habitat
fragmentation, spread of invasive alien species, climate change, water
scarcity, fires, storms and pests call for enhanced protection.
EU rules cover the movement and trade of certain
plants, plant products and objects that can threaten plant health.

Protection
efforts should aim to maintain, enhance and restore forest ecosystems'
resilience and multi-functionality as a core part of the EU’s green
infrastructure, providing key environmental services as well as raw materials.

Further
emphasis should be put on preventing negative impacts on forests rather than on
damage mitigation and restoration. For forests to be able to react to future
threats and trends, genetic diversity must be enhanced and endangered genetic
resources protected.

Both
the nature and the effects of certain threats are trans-boundary and therefore
action at EU level is needed.

Forest
Management Plans (FMPs) or equivalent instruments based on the principles of
sustainable forest management are key instruments in delivering
multiple goods and services in a balanced way. FMPs
are at the core of both the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and EU Rural
Development funding. The strategy encompasses them
and promotes and supports their use.

Strategic orientations:

Member States:

- will, with the Commission’s assistance, develop a conceptual
framework for valuing ecosystem services, promoting their integration in
accounting systems at EU and national levels by 2020. They will build on the Mapping and Assessment of the state of Ecosystems and of their
Services;

- should  maintain and enhance forest
cover to ensure soil protection, water quality and quantity regulation by
integrating sustainable forestry practices in the Programme of Measures of
River Basin Management Plans under the Water Framework Directive and in the
Rural Development Programmes;

- should achieve a significant and measurable improvement in the
conservation status of forest species and habitats by fully implementing EU
nature legislation and ensuring that national forest plans contribute to the
adequate management of the Natura 2000 network by 2020. They should build on
the upcoming guide on Natura 2000 and forests;

- will implement the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and
reach its Aichi targets adopted in the context of the Convention on Biological
Diversity, building on the upcoming common Restoration Prioritisation
Framework;

- should strengthen forest genetics conservation (tree species
diversity) and diversity within species and within populations. The Commission
may support them in particular via the Rural Development Programme.

The Commission:

- will monitor Member States’ progress as regards the uptake of
forest management plans or equivalent instruments and the integration of
biodiversity considerations in them, including Natura 2000 conservation
objectives;

- should, together with the Member States, strengthen the mechanisms
for protecting forests against pests, building on increased cooperation with
neighbouring countries, enhanced research and the ongoing review of the Plant
Health Regime;

- will assess the impacts and consider a possible extension of the obligation to apply within the EU the
International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures no 15 on wood packaging
materials;

-
will provide relevant information and data at its disposal to the Parties to
the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to support the
implementation of their Plans of Action for protecting forests and soil in
areas most threatened by land degradation and desertification. It will do this
especially through the European Forest Data Centre and the European Soil Data
Centre.

Improving
the knowledge base

3.3.5      What forests do we have and
how are they changing?

Strengthening
the forest knowledge base is needed to better understand the complex
environmental and societal challenges facing the forest sector. Mapping and assessing the state of forest
ecosystems and their services requires better EU
forest information. Relevant variables and parameters will be harmonised at EU
level, based on cooperation between international, pan-European and national
data acquisition systems, and on a detailed analysis of EU challenges. EU
programmes such as LIFE+ could help mobilise the resources needed.

The
Commission and Member States
have developed a modular system for forest information, and
work on biomass and biodiversity is ongoing.

Strategic orientations:

The Commission and the Member States will:

- set up of the Forest
Information System of Europe by collecting harmonised Europe-wide information on
the multifunctional role of forests and forest resources and integrating
diverse information systems (e.g. EFFIS[16])
and data platforms (e.g. EFDAC[17])
into a dynamic modular system that combines data and models into applications;

- align EU forest
information so that it is primarily based on data collected by Member States
with EU data architecture requirements such as INSPIRE,[18] SEIS[19]
and Copernicus,[20]
and follow international and regional processes;

- promote the further
development of the EU database of forest reproductive material, including
hyperlinks to national registers and maps;

- improve, make
comparable and share forest information and monitoring, building on successful
experiences such as EFFIS, forest health, EU forestry statistics and the EFDAC.

In close consultation
with stakeholders, the Commission will:

- develop several
modules, e.g. on forests and natural disturbances like fires and pests, forest
and the bio–economy, forests and climate change and forest and ecosystem services
that could contribute to the EU’s forestry statistics and Integrated
Environmental and Economic Accounting for Forests.

3.3.6      New and innovative forestry
and added-value products

A
coherent and ambitious EU forest-based research area is required to stimulate
innovation across the forest sector. It should take into account forest
specificities such as long timeframes.

EU
framework programmes for research and development support the forest sector. The
forest sector is more present in the 7th Research Framework Programme and in
Horizon 2020, in line with the Bioeconomy Strategy for Europe[21].
The goal is to enhance the sector’s sustainability and its contribution to the
rural economy through sustainable forest management, improve
its capacity to face biotic and abiotic stresses, and develop better forestry
production systems and products.

Strategic orientations:

- The Commission will assist Member States and stakeholders in
transferring technological and scientific knowledge to forest practice and the
market, in particular through Horizon
2020 and the European Innovation Partnership
on Agricultural Productivity and
Sustainability, supporting the development of new products with higher
added-value;

- The Commission and the Member States should
cooperate on advanced research and modelling tools to fill data and knowledge
gaps to better understand the complex issues around social, economic and
environmental changes related to forests (e.g. identifying environmental
thresholds);

- The
Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) will be used to strengthen
coordination of research and innovation work between the EU, Member States and stakeholders;

- The Commission will ensure that results and good practices are
disseminated through the EU forest governance structure and other relevant
fora.

Fostering
coordination and communication

3.3.7      Working together to
coherently manage and better understand our forests

Various
crosscutting policy issues address forests, and their objectives sometimes
differ. Coordination, cooperation and communication are therefore essential to
achieving policy coherence and consistency.

Various
options to improve coordination and implementation were discussed with Member
States, including a framework directive on sustainable
forest management. However, no consensus on going beyond a
voluntary approach was found. In any case, links with forest-related policies
must be improved.

The
current EU forest governance structure[22]
relies on the Standing Forestry Committee[23]
(SFC). The SFC should remain the forum for discussing
all forest-related issues, ensuring coordination and coherence of forest-related
policies. However, improvements are needed to ensure
that the SFC responds
to inputs from other policies. The SFC worked with the
Advisory Group on Forestry and Cork, the Habitat Committee and the Expert Group
on Natura 2000 management to jointly prepare the guide on Natura 2000 and
forests – this could be used as best practice. Also, more emphasis could be put
on the SFC’s role of keeping forests multi-functional.

The
Advisory Committee on Forestry and Cork[24] will
remain the main multi-stakeholder platform for discussing issues related to
forestry and sustainable forest management, and the
Advisory Committee on Forest-based Industries[25]
will remain the main platform for issues related to industrial value chains.

These
three fora should be the cornerstones for developing and following up on the
new strategy.

Communication
is a particular challenge for the sector, as the public is generally not aware
of how significant sustainable forest management is,
or of the various ways in which the forest sector contributes to the green
economy.

Strategic orientations:

- The Commission will ensure that the Standing Forestry Committee’s
work builds on other EU policies relevant for forests and the forest sector,
ensuring that managing EU forests remains multifunctional;

- The Commission and the Member States will
explore various options for better coordination of sustainable
forest management, harmonised forest information and
cooperation between and with Member States;

- The Commission will create a European Forest Bureau Network
(National Forest Inventories – NFI) to develop harmonised criteria for NFI
data. Complementary work is planned through COST
actions and research projects;

- Member States should
improve public information about forests and wood, and build on the EU Forest
Communication Strategy developed by the SFC[26];

- The Commission will further assess public perception of forests
(via a Eurobarometer survey by 2015).

3.3.8      Forests from a global
perspective

At
pan-European level, the focus is on the ongoing negotiations on establishing a
legally-binding agreement on forests, with the EU as a key
actor. Through this agreement, the EU aims to improve
sustainable forest management across the region. The new strategy forms a suitable
vehicle for the implementation of the agreement..

At
global level, the EU is at the frontline of work on combating deforestation and
forest degradation. It promotes sustainable forest management as a way of
protecting biodiversity, fighting desertification and responding to climate
change, whilst ensuring that forest ecosystems deliver goods and services. In
this way it contributes to sustainable development and to eradicating poverty.
REDD+, FLEGT[27]
and the EU Timber Regulation[28]
aim towards these goals. By 2015, the Commission will review the functioning
and effectiveness of the EU Timber Regulation.

This
strategy aims to ensure consistency between EU and Member
 State policies, objectives and
commitments on forest-related issues at international level. It supports the EU
and Member States
by formulating clear and coherent objectives.

Strategic orientations:

The Commission and the Member States will:

- ensure consistency between EU and Member State policies and
commitments on forest-related issues at international level;

-  promote sustainable forest management across Europe and globally,
and the role of forests in the transition to a green economy in the context of
EU development cooperation and external action;

- ensure continued support for global efforts to fight illegal
logging through the FLEGT Action Plan;

- support developing countries in their efforts to improve forest
policies and regulations, strengthen forest governance, value and monitor
forest ecosystems,  and address the drivers of deforestation and forest
degradation through REDD+.

The Commission will:

- assess the environmental impact of EU consumption of products and
raw materials likely to contribute to deforestation and forest degradation
outside the EU. If appropriate, it will consider policy options for limiting
such impacts, including the development of an EU action plan on deforestation
and forest degradation. It will do this in line with the 7th EU Environment
Action Programme.

4            Turning principles into action: working
together for our forests and forest sector

The
Commission and Member States,
within their respective competences, will ensure the strategy’s implementation
and follow-up, paying particular attention to stakeholder involvement.

In
order to set milestones for meeting the 2020 forest objectives and to address
the strategic priorities of actions in forest policy and forest-related
policies, the Commission will work with the Standing Forestry Committee to reinforce
links with related EU policies. When necessary, it will work with other
committees and fora. Given how important EU funds are
for forests and the forest sector, there is a need to improve the quality of EU-level
discussions.

Other
areas in which Member States should
advance further, such as preventing forest fires, combating pests and diseases,
promoting sustainable wood and regional/cross-regional cooperation, will be
identified.

Forests
and the forest sector currently receive significant EU funding. Forestry
measures under the Rural Development Regulation
are the strategy’s resource backbone (90% of total EU forestry funding).
According to the updated plans, €5.4 billion from the European
Agricultural Fund for Rural Development have been earmarked for forestry
measures in 2007-2013. Although it will depend on Member
States’ Rural Development Plans, a similar level of
spending to that in the current period could be expected for 2014-2020. This
spending should be dedicated to contributing to the objectives of this strategy,
and in particular to ensuring that EU forests are demonstrably managed
according to sustainable forest management principles. 
LIFE+ supports nature conservation, climate change
adaptation, information and protection needs, the structural funds support cohesion
projects and Horizon 2020 supports research and innovation actions, including
the public-private partnership on bio-based industries. Development and climate
change policies also provide financing for third countries, in particular
through EU development funds, REDD+ and FLEGT.  Rationalising available
resources and improving coordination between EU and national funding can contribute
to the strategy’s better implementation.

5            Conclusions

A
strategy for forests and the forest sector is necessary since there is no
common EU forest policy or guiding framework for forest-related issues. Since a
growing number of EU policies are making increasing demands on forests, there
is a need to coordinate sectorial policies. There is also a need for an agreed
holistic strategic vision on forest issues, and for ensuring that linked EU
policies are fully taken into account in national forest policies.  This will
strengthen the capacity of forests and the forest-based sector to respond to
developments in various policy areas.

This
strategy aims to put forests and the forest sector at the heart of the path
towards a green economy and to value the benefits that forests can sustainably
deliver, while ensuring their protection. Strong commitment and political
support from all parties involved are needed for this.

A
review will be carried out by 2018 to assess progress in implementing the
strategy.

The
European Parliament and the Council are invited to endorse this strategy and to
express their views on its implementation.

[1]               Based on the EU’s projected forest management
reference levels submitted to UNFCCC CMP.6.

[2]               16 million, according to owners ́ estimates. While the
number of private forest owners is rather high, their share of forest land is
comparably small and often fragmented.

[3]               Further details are in the Green Paper on Forest
Protection and Information COM(2010) 66.

[4]               Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests
in Europe. Helsinki, 1993

[5]               COM(2011)
244 and COM(2012)60

[6]               Council Resolution of 15 December 1998 on a forestry
strategy for the EU

[7]               COM(2006) 302

[8]               Pan-European political process for the sustainable
management of the continent’s forests.

[9]               Under the cascade principle, wood is used in the
following order of priorities: wood-based products, extending their service
life, re-use, recycling, bio-energy and disposal.

[10]             Conclusions of the European Council of 7-8/2/2013 on
the Multiannual Financial Framework.

[11]             Since the forest sector falls
outside of Annex I and Article 42 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU,
all competition rules fully apply to it.

[12]             Woodworking, furniture, pulp and
paper manufacturing and converting, printing (NACE Ch.s
16, 31, 17, 18.1). Relevant wood
harvesting aspects (NACE 02.2) are also covered.

[13]             “A Stronger European Industry
for Growth and Economic Recovery”, (COM (2012) 582
final) and "Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era"
(COM (2010) 614).

[14]             Decision No 529/2013/EU.

[15]             COM(2013)216.

[16]             EU Forest Fire Information System

[17]             European Forest Data Centre

[18]             Infrastructure for Spatial
Information in the European Community (INSPIRE).

[19]             Shared Environmental Information System.

[20]             European Commission’s Earth Observation Programme.

[21]             COM (2012) 60

[22]             Described in the Staff Working Document

[23]             Council Decision 89/367/EEC

[24]             Commission Decision 2004/391/EC

[25]             Commission Decision 97/837/EC

[26]             http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/fore/publi/

[27]             Regulation 2173/2005 on the establishment of a forest
law-enforcement, governance and trade-licensing scheme for importing timber
into the EU.

[28]             Regulation (EU) No 995/2010